being texted by other clients. Clients need to respect the pro. Our pros being accessible 24/7 is a hindrance to their professional and personal well-being.”
SERVING COMMERCIAL CLIENTS In the case of commercial landscape companies, many are finding the age of the property managers they work with is dropping as their predecessors hand over the reins. “The boomers are just getting to that age where they’re at least mentoring the next person in line or the next person is already phasing into that role,” says Chad Sikes, owner/CEO of City Green Services, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “So I would say Generation X and below are definitely at least 50 percent of our client base and probably millennials are 20 to 30 percent of our client base.” Commercial landscapers can mainly
serve these younger property managers by creating partnerships via education and being a resource to them. “Their Rolodex isn’t nearly as deep as someone that’s been in the industry for several years,” Sikes says. Sikes says this could be helping
connect them with a window washing company or a parking lot sweeping com- pany because they may not know what vendors to trust or who’s reliable. Sikes says utilizing technology is also appreci-
ated as it can streamline processes. “They don’t think differently because of their age; they think differently be- cause the owners of these properties are a little scared to give a mid-20s person this asset to handle,” says Joe Chiellini, president and CEO of ASI Landscape Management, based in Tampa, Florida. “We try to help them understand the value of what we bring so they can have a professional, meaningful conversation with their regional manager, their owner, whoever it might be, so they don’t sound young. They sound like they know what they’re doing.” Chiellini says in the past they would walk the property with a manager and educate them, but now these younger managers don’t have the time and are focused on the numbers. Sikes suggests being a wealth of knowledge for the younger generations and being proac- tive when caring for the property. “When they need something, com- munication is key,” Sikes says. “They’re not calling most of the time to just shoot the breeze. It’s a ‘Hey, I need something and I need an answer.’ So being accessible is huge, no matter what generation you’re talking about.” Like residential clients, these commer- cial clients like things right now and are very visual. “I used to be able to sell the job and
“We try to help them understand the value of what we bring so they can have a professional, meaningful conversation with their regional manager, their owner, whoever it might be, so that they don’t sound young. They sound like
they know what they’re doing.” - Joe Chiellini, ASI Landscape Management
especially if they were if they knew us or knew me, they were more than happy just to do a sketch or maybe a CAD drawing,” Chiellini says. “Now they want a 3D rendering, all that kind of stuff. So those are the tools that we’re having to use now.”
While many young property managers
are only focused on the financial cost of landscaping, it’s important to make them understand its value.
“I think people of all ages deem gar- dening and landscaping as a nonessential service until they see what it’s like without it,” Fischer says. “Then they understand the amount of time, knowledge, and care it takes to maintain areas. Often, I will see properties with younger managers saying they don’t think it’s necessary, only to get calls midseason asking about bringing back services they had previously written off.” TE
Photo: Ray Gallardo
National Association of Landscape Professionals 31
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